Artist: Elena Kalman

I was born in Ukraine and, even though I live in the United States for many years, Ukrainian war is very much on my mind for the last two years. I remember Ukrainian land with magnificent cities, lush gardens, and whitewashed cottages knee-high in flowers. I cannot fully comprehend the devastation that has befallen this land. I can only express my emotions through paintings.

My Ukrainian landscapes are imaginary views of the war-scarred land, devoid of people. My perspectives are skewed, explosions spill out from the confines of the paintings’ borders, images protrude off the surface in deep relief. The viewer is invited to imagine herself present inside each painting.

Most of the pieces in this series take their names from a poem I composed:

Ukraine Defiant

Ukraine invaded, bloodied, trampled and burned
Her fields are plowed with bombs and sown with bones Her mothers weep, her sky is overcast
She dreams of the future, and she dreams of the past Her children torn away, uprooted, lost
She fights in spite of pain, in spite of cost
Her enemies predict defeat and doom
But she will win, will live again and bloom!

The devastation caused by war is at the heart of each painting, but where there is resistance – there is hope.

Kalman Bio -2024

Elena Kalman is a painter, a creator of public art, and an architect, whose work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries throughout the United States, including:

The Museum of Russian Art, Minneapolis, MN
New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT National Aquarium, Baltimore MD
Van Cortland Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, Boston, MA
Bijou Box, Bridgeport, CT

Kalman’s work is included in the following collections:

William Benton Museum of Art UConn, Storrs, CT Iona College, New Rochelle, NY
Jewish Center of Ridgefield, CT
Carnegie Management, New York, NY

Kalman received her Master of Architecture degree from the Moscow Architecture Institute and Fine Art degree from Kiev Art Institute. She immigrated to the United States in 1979. She is a principal of a Connecticut-based, design-oriented architectural firm, which she founded in 1988. Her commissioned sculptures and paintings became integral parts of several buildings she designed located in New your City and Connecticut.

Her series of 12 paintings dedicated to the Ukrainian struggle against Putin’s aggression were featured in a personal show in The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) in Minneapolis, MN from March 1st to July 15th of 2023.

Her series of 30 paintings “Timeline” illustrating Jewish history through the ages, ceramic relief “Jerusalem” and outdoor sculptures: “Flame” and “Holocaust and Rebirth” are commissioned by The Chabad Center of Somerset County, NJ. These are integrated into a religious building designed by Elena Kalman, AIA which is presently under construction and is scheduled to open in spring of 2024.

 http://www.kalmandesign.com
http://www.elenakalmanart.com
Email: Elena@kalmandesign.com.

PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS:

Jan. 2023 Flame – 10’ long x 3’deep x 24’ high sculpture is installed on the façade of a new building and 10’ long x 3’deep x 16’ high sculpture is installed on the interior face of the same wall visible through the glass Chabad Jewish Center of Somerset County, New Jersey. Aluminum panels, LED lights. Both building and the site-specific sculptures are designed by Elena Kalman, AIA. Chabad Jewish Center of Somerset County, Baskin Ridge, NJ

2018-2023 Jewish timeline: a serious of 32 mixed media paintings, each measuring 54”x30” are installed in the sanctuary of a new building. Both building design and the site-specific art are by Elena Kalman, AIA. Chabad Jewish Center of Somerset County, Baskin Ridge, NJ
2018 Dreamers – 15.5’ long x 30” deep x 15.5’ high site-specific sculpture is installed on the Iona College Arts Center façade: ALPOLIC panels, LED lights. The art is commissioned by Iona College as a result of Kalman winning an open call art competition. New Rochelle, NY.

2017 The Twelve – 32’ long x 8’ deep x 10’ high sculptural installation at the Chabad Synagogue; ALPOLIC panels, marble pedestals, LED lights. Both the art and the building are designed by Elena Kalman, AIA. Ridgefield, CT.
2017 UConn Wave – 30’ long x 5’ wide x 10’ high installation hung from the ceiling; polycarbonate film, parachute cord; commissioned by William Benton Art Museum at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, NY, as a part of the museum’s permanent collection. Developed in collaboration with Susan Hoffman Fishman.

2015 Caterpillar Cavern – 48′ long x 10′ wide x 14′ high sculpture; metal, fabric, plastic and LED lighting. At the Annual Springtime Outdoor Show, LightScapes at Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Commission was a result of an open call art competition. The sculpture was included in Annual Shows since 2015.
2014 The Brooklyn WAVE – Multiple Art Installations in public spaces throughout the building, including a 3-story high, 24′ long x 30′ high x 12″ deep; glass, aluminum, polycarbonate film and LED lighting at the Wave Building. Both the art and the building are designed by Elena Kalman, AIA. 40 North 4th St, Brooklyn, NY.

2008 Swimming Bricks – Art Installation 60″wide x 30″high x 8″ deep; bricks, mortar, glass, stainless steel and LED lighting at the Riverfront Building’s lobby. Both the art and the building are designed by Elena Kalman, AIA. 57 Front Street, Brooklyn, NY.
2005 Circles and Lines – Art Installation on two walls in the lobby 24′ long x 8′ high x 8″ deep; tempered glass, linear lighting on rough concrete in the Park West Building lobby. Both the art and the building are designed by Elena Kalman, AIA. 196 West 96 Street New York, NY.

PUBLIC ART TEMPORARY INSTALLATIONS:

2020 Plastic Paradise 2– Site specific public art installation on environmental issues and pollution due to overuse of plastics – entire gallery transformed into a Garden of Eden complete with trees, birds, a waterfall, a river and fish. 24’x32’x12 high; plastic drop cloth, landscaping mesh, trash bags, polycarbonate film, LED lights.
Iona College Art Center Gallery, New Rochelle, NY

2018 Plastic Paradise 1–Site specific public art installation on environmental issues and pollution due to overuse of plastics – entire gallery transformed into a Garden of Eden complete with trees, birds, a waterfall, a river and fish.
40’ x 32’ x 18’ high; plastic drop cloth, landscaping mesh, trash bags, polycarbonate film, LED lights.
Bijou Box Art Space, Bridgeport, CT.

2017 Shattered Dreams – Site specific public art installation on the tragic consequences of the Russian Revolution of 1917; plastic drop cloth, theatrical fabric, fishing nets, painted drift wood, LED lights. 40’ x 32’ x 18’ high. Bijou Box Art Space, Bridgeport, CT.
2017 Anthropocene: Site specific public art installation on climate change; polycarbonate film, theatrical fabric, live meadow plants, LED lights. Developed in collaboration with Susan Hoffman Fishman; 40’x32’x18’high. Bijou Box Art Space, Bridgeport, CT

The WAVE: An Interactive, Public Art Installation Celebrating Water.

Elena Kalman in collaboration with Susan Hoffman Fishman.

All WAVE installations are site specific and dimensions vary. Polycarbonate film, parachute cord. 2017 Benton Museum of Art, UConn, Storrs, CT.
2016 Manny Cantor Center, New York, NY.
2015 Chase Gallery, West Hartford, CT.

2014 Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT.
2013-2014 Library Consortium Grant sponsoring the Wave installations in Stamford, New Haven, New London and Willimantic, CT, Public Libraries.
2013 New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT; National Aquarium, Baltimore, MD; Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, NY.
2012 Nocturnal Wave at Allegra LaViola Gallery, New York, NY.
2012 Connecticut Office of the Arts, HOT School Institute, Hartford, CT; Envisionfest, Hartford, CT; Gaffney Elementary School, New Britain, CT.
2011 Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA; Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston, MA; Worthington Hooker School, New Haven, CT.

HOME: An Interactive, Public Art Installation on the Universal Meaning of Home and the Tragedy of Homelessness.
Elena Kalman in collaboration with Susan Hoffman Fishman.
All HOME installations are site specific, and dimensions vary. Corrugated cardboard, wood, parachute cord, colored crayons, construction paper.

2016 Open House: An Interactive, Public Art Installation at the Charter Oak Community Center, Hartford, CT. 2016 HOME: An Interactive, Public Art Installation at the Stamford Government Center, Stamford, CT.
2015 Deconstructed Home: An Interactive, Public Art Installation at Governor’s Island, New York, NY.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2023: Ukraine Defiant – A series of 12 paintings featured in a solo show in The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) in Minneapolis, MN
2019 Midsummer Day’s Dream – A series of 12 paintings features in a solo show exhibited at University of Connecticut Art Gallery in Stamford, CT.
2015 – 2018 Accidental Paintings – Exhibited at several art shows curated by the New York Foundation for the Arts at the NYFA Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Deutscher Bank, New York, NY; Jarvis Convention Center, New York, NY.
2012 November Roads and Garden Opera – A series of paintings at the Hammond Museum, North Salem, NY.
2010 -2011 November Roads and Garden Opera (paintings) and Incomplete Series (sculpture) solo show at the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, Stamford, CT.
2010-2015 Various Outdoor Installations at the Collaborative Concepts Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, Saunders Farm, Garrison, NY.
2011 New Architectural Etudes for Memorial Park Installations at the I-Park Foundation, East Haddam, CT.
2002 Dance of Seven Veils – An Interactive, Public Art Installation at the Art Gallery, Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Stamford, CT.
2000 Architectural Etudes – A series of watercolors on paper featured in a solo show at the American Institute of Architects Connecticut Headquarters, New Haven, CT.
1998 Pears and Planes – A series of monumental pastels on paper at the Artworks Collaborative, Stamford, CT.
1985 Architectural Etudes and Dreams at Dawn – Two series of watercolors on paper featured in a solo show at the Ukrainian Institute, New York, NY.
1982 Dreams at Dawn – A series of watercolors on paper at Lynn Kottler Galleries, New York NY and at Bushnell Hall, Hartford, CT.

ARCHITECTURE:

1988-Present Elena Kalman, AIA, is a founding principal of an award-winning, design-oriented architectural firm. Please see her architectural projects at http://www.kalmandesign.com

EDUCATION:

1972-1976 MA, Architecture; Moscow Architectural Institute (MARCHI), Moscow, Russia. 1976-1978 MA, Art; Kiev State Institute of Art, Kiev, Ukraine.